The Hope Diamond - Value, History and Mystery

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For many centuries, the Hope Diamond has remained as one of the most famous and largest colored Diamonds in the world. Whether it’s due to the Diamond’s vast collection of wealthy owners, thieves and French royals, or its vibrant color and impressive size, or even its notorious reputation of being cursed, the Hope Diamond is still one of the most talked about Diamonds to date. With ownership records dating back almost four centuries, the Hope Diamond has had an impressive list of owners before it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958, where it is still housed today at the National Museum of Natural History.

Weighing in at 45.52 carats, the Hope Diamond exudes brilliance and beauty through its Fancy dark greyish-blue color and VS1 clarity rating. Today, the cushion antique brilliant cut Diamond has a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion and is surrounded in a pendant of 16 white Diamonds, both pear shapes and cushion cuts.

What Makes The Hope Diamond Special?

A recent study in August 2018 found that blue Diamonds, like the Hope Diamond, are among the rarest Diamonds on Earth. A recent survey followed of approximately 13.8 million Diamonds found that only 0.02 percent were categorised as blue Diamonds.

Furthermore, the study, which was published in the journal Nature, suggested that blue Diamonds form four times as deep in the Earth as colorless Diamonds, at depths of over 400 miles below the surface. For a long time, the origin of blue Diamonds had remained a puzzle to geologists and jewelers alike, but this new research offered an insight into the complex geologic sequences that create blue Diamonds like the elusive Hope Diamond.

Hope Diamond History

Believed to have originated in the Kollur mine in Golconda, India, the Hope Diamond was originally a much larger stone when it was purchased by French merchant traveller, Jean Baptiste Tavernier in the 17th century. Tavernier later described the 112 3/16- carat Diamond as beautifully violet colored and somewhat crudely cut in a triangular shape. The larger stone was soon named the Tavernier Blue and was over 60 carats bigger than the Hope Diamond, which is ultimately just a small piece of what the stone once was. Interestingly, while experts had always suspected that the Hope Diamond was cut from Tavernier Blue, it was not until 2005 that it was proven to be a descendant of the larger stone.

In 1668, Tavernier sold the Diamond, along with a number of other large Diamonds and several smaller ones, to King Louis XIV. According to the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, the Tavernier Blue became the first recorded blue Diamond in Europe and became known as the ‘Blue Diamond of the Crown’ or the ‘French Blue’, due to its described intense steely-blue color. Five years after purchasing the jewel, King Louis had it cut down in size to ⅛ carat stone, by the court jeweler Sieur Pitau. Wanting to showcase the stones best facets and glittering brilliance, Louis then had it set in gold and hung on a neck ribbon, which he wore on ceremonial occasions.

In 1749, King Louis XV had the stone reset with an impressive red Spinel for the Order of the Golden Fleece, by court jeweler Andre Jacquemin. For the next few years before the French Revolution, the French monarchs continued to don the beautiful rare gem. Although there is no historical evidence, many believe that even Marie Antoinette doned the beautiful French Blue a number of times. After an attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoniette to flee France in 1791 during the French Revolution, the crown jewels of the French Royal Treasury were turned over to the Government for safe keeping. During a week-long looting in 1792, a large portion of the French crown jewels were stolen, including the French Blue. For many years, it was believed the Louis XVI was the last owner of the French Blue.

It wasn’t until the early 19th century that a smaller blue Diamond of 45.52 carats with a matching beautiful violet hue to the Tavernier, resurfaced in England under the possession of London diamond merchant, Daniel Eliason. Strong evidence suggests that it was in fact the recut French Blue. Several references suggest that the Diamond was eventually acquired by King George IV, however following his death in 1830, it was most likely sold through private channels to help compensate his enormous debts.

In 1839, the Diamond surfaced within the gem collection catalogue of the well-known Henry Philip Hope, with whom the Diamond takes its name today. Unfortunately there is no evidence in the catalogue about how he acquired the Diamond or how much he paid for it. Following his death later in the year, the Diamond was passed down to his nephew Henry Thomas Hope and then to his nephew’s grandson Lord Francis Hope. Over the next few years, the Diamond underwent a number of different owners, up until it was resold to Pierre Cartier in 1909. In 1910, the Hope Diamond was shown to Washington D.C. socialite Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, at Cartier’s in Paris. After resetting the Diamond and mounting it as a headpiece on a three-tiered circlet of large white Diamonds, Cartier sold the Diamond to Mrs. McLean in 1911. Soon after, the Hope Diamond became the pendant of the necklace that remains today.

Following Mrs. McLean’s passing in 1947, Harry Winston Inc. of New York City purchased her entire jewelry collection, which included the Hope Diamond in 1949. For the next 10 years the Hope Diamond was shown at many exhibits and charity events worldwide, before it was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, where it remains today as a premier attraction. Since its re homing on November 10, 1958, the Hope Diamond has left the Smithsonian only four times for exhibitions or cleaning and restoration work. With such an extensive history that dates back four centuries, it is no wonder that the Hope Diamond remains a favourite for many worldwide.

Hope Diamond Curse

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Hope Diamond is the alleged curse it spread to its owners over the last four centuries. According to the legend, the Hope Diamond brought great misfortune to the person who owned and wore the jewel, with tales of suicide, murder, bankruptcy, failed marriages and tragedy. However there are strong indications to suggest that these stories were fabricated to increase publicity and in turn the value of the beautiful jewel. That being said, there is still adequate evidence to suggest that the legend has some truth to it too.

The legend originates back to when Jean-Baptiste Tavernier discovered the blue Diamond in the Kollur mine in Golcanda in southern India. It is suggested that the Diamond was previously embedded in the head of a Hindu goddess statue, perhaps as an eye. Some tales suggest that it was Tavernier himself who took the Diamond from the statue, while others say it was someone else who then sold his spoils to the Frenchmen. Either way, each legend agrees that it was this act of theft that initially placed the curse on the stone. Some stories say that Tavernier was supposedly mauled to death by dogs thereafter, although evidence suggests that he retired a wealthy man, after selling the jewel to King Louis XIV of France.

In the early 20th century, a number of newspapers ran articles that listed the supposed cases of misfortune from the Hope Diamond, which further spread the curse story. An article in the New York Times in 1911 listed examples from King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antionette beheadings, to Jacques Colet’s suicide and even temporary wearer, Princess de Lamballe’s horrific rape and murder, all as cases to suggest the Diamond’s curse.

It was later suggested that jeweler Pierre Cartier further fuelled the whispered tales by applying elements of Wilkie Collins’ novel ‘The Moonstone’ to the Hope Diamond tale, during Evalyn and Ned McLean’s visit to the Cartier store in Paris. It is assumed Cartier embroidered the story in an attempt to convince them to buy the Diamond. The story successfully entranced Evalyn to later purchase the Diamond and she soon became one of the most iconic owners of the Hope Diamond. While evidence suggested that the curse was fabricated to increase publicity, mystery and appeal of the Hope Diamond in the 20th century, misfortune still followed thereafter, with Mrs McLean’s mother-in-law passing, her son dying at the age of nine, her husband divorcing her for another woman and soon after dying in a mental hospital, her daughter dying from a drug overdose at 25 and the family losing their fortunes to bankruptcy.

Even the mailman who delivered the Diamond to the Smithsonian after it was donated by Harry Winston in 1958, suffered a crushed leg injury soon after, his home caught fire and both his wife and dog died soon after.

While many believe these misfortunes occurred because of the Hope Diamond, others are adamant that they are just coincidental circumstances and can be blamed on other causes. Smithsonian curator Jeffrey Post told PBS that he believed the curse was an interesting part of the Diamond’s history, but that it was not true.

“The curse is a fascinating part of the story of the Hope Diamond that has helped to make the Diamond as famous as it is. But as a scientist, as a curator, I don’t believe in curses,” said Mr Post.

So whether you believe the curse or not, the Hope Diamond’s infamous history dating back over four centuries proves for an entertaining read. If you are as enamoured by the beauty and rarity of blue Diamonds like the Hope Diamond, you can purchase one today from Gem Rock Auctions.

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Blue Diamonds

Dugi niz stoljeća, Dijamant Hope ostao je jedan od najpoznatijih i najvećih obojenih dijamanata na svijetu. Bilo zbog velike kolekcije Diamonda bogatih vlasnika, lopova i francuske kraljevske obitelji, ili zbog njegove živahne boje i impresivne veličine, ili čak zbog ozloglašene reputacije ukletog, Dijamant Hope i dalje je jedan od dijamanata o kojima se najviše govori do sada. S podacima o vlasništvu koji datiraju unatrag gotovo četiri stoljeća, dijamant Hope imao je impresivan popis vlasnika prije nego što je 1958. doniran Smithsonian Institutionu, gdje se i danas nalazi u Nacionalnom muzeju prirodne povijesti.

Težak od 45,52 karata, Hope Diamond odiše sjajem i ljepotom kroz svoju Fancy tamno sivkasto-plavu boju i ocjenu čistoće VS1. Danas, jastučni antikni briljantni briljantni dijamant ima fasetirani pojas i dodatne fasete na paviljonu i okružen je privjeskom od 16 bijelih dijamanata, oblika kruške i jastučića.

Što The Hope Diamond čini posebnim?

Nedavno istraživanje u kolovozu 2018. pokazalo je da su plavi dijamanti, poput dijamanta Hope, među najrjeđim dijamantima na Zemlji. Nedavno provedeno istraživanje o približno 13,8 milijuna dijamanata pokazalo je da je samo 0,02 posto kategorizirano kao plavi dijamanti.

Nadalje, studija, koja je objavljena u časopisu Nature, sugerira da se plavi dijamanti formiraju četiri puta dublje u Zemlji od bezbojnih dijamanata, na dubinama od preko 400 milja ispod površine. Dugo je vrijeme podrijetlo plavih dijamanata ostalo zagonetka geolozima i draguljarima, ali ovo novo istraživanje ponudilo je uvid u složene geološke sekvence koje stvaraju plave dijamante poput neuhvatljivog dijamanta Hope.

Povijest dijamanata Hope

Vjeruje se da potječe iz rudnika Kollur u Golcondi u Indiji, a izvorno je dijamant Hope bio mnogo veći kamen kada ga je kupio francuski trgovački putnik Jean Baptiste Tavernier u 17. stoljeću. Tavernier je kasnije opisao dijamant od 112 3/16 karata kao lijepo ljubičaste boje i pomalo grubo izrezan u obliku trokuta. Veći kamen ubrzo je nazvan Tavernier Blue i bio je preko 60 karata veći od dijamanta Hope, koji je u konačnici samo mali komad onoga što je kamen nekada bio. Zanimljivo, dok su stručnjaci oduvijek sumnjali da je dijamant Hope izrezan iz Tavernier Bluea, tek 2005. je dokazano da je potomak većeg kamena.

Godine 1668. Tavernier je prodao dijamant, zajedno s nizom drugih velikih dijamanata i nekoliko manjih, kralju Luju XIV. Prema Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, Tavernier Blue postao je prvi zabilježeni plavi dijamant u Europi i postao poznat kao 'Plavi dijamant krune' ili 'Francusko plavi', zbog svoje opisane intenzivne čelično-plave boje . Pet godina nakon što je kupio dragulj, kralj Louis ga je dao smanjiti na ⅛ karatni kamen, od strane dvorskog draguljara Sieura Pitaua. Želeći pokazati najbolje fasete kamenja i svjetlucavi sjaj, Louis ga je zatim dao u zlatu i objesiti na vrpcu oko vrata, koju je nosio u svečanim prilikama.

Godine 1749. kralj Luj XV dao je resetirati kamen s impresivnom crvenom spinelom za Red zlatnog runa, dvorskog draguljara Andre Jacquemina. Sljedećih nekoliko godina prije Francuske revolucije, francuski monarsi nastavili su nositi prekrasan rijedak dragulj. Iako nema povijesnih dokaza, mnogi vjeruju da je čak i Marie Antoinette nekoliko puta nosila prekrasnu francusku plavu. Nakon pokušaja Luja XVI. i Marie Antoniette da pobjegnu iz Francuske 1791. tijekom Francuske revolucije, krunski dragulji francuske kraljevske riznice predani su Vladi na sigurno čuvanje. Tijekom cjelotjednog pljačkanja 1792. ukraden je velik dio dragulja francuske krune, uključujući i francuski plavi. Dugi niz godina vjerovalo se da je Louis XVI posljednji vlasnik francuskog plavog.

Tek početkom 19. stoljeća manji plavi dijamant od 45,52 karata s prelijepom ljubičastom bojom koja se podudara s Tavernierom, ponovno se pojavio u Engleskoj pod posjedom londonskog trgovca dijamantima Daniela Eliasona. Jaki dokazi upućuju na to da je to zapravo bila recut French Blue. Nekoliko referenci sugerira da je dijamant na kraju kupio kralj George IV, no nakon njegove smrti 1830. najvjerojatnije je prodan privatnim kanalima kako bi se nadoknadili njegovi ogromni dugovi.

Godine 1839. Dijamant se pojavio u katalogu kolekcije dragulja poznatog Henryja Philipa Hopea, s kojim Dijamant danas nosi svoje ime. Nažalost, u katalogu nema dokaza o tome kako je stekao dijamant ili koliko je platio za njega. Nakon njegove smrti kasnije tijekom godine, dijamant je prešao na njegovog nećaka Henryja Thomasa Hopea, a zatim na unuka njegovog nećaka lorda Francisa Hopea. Tijekom sljedećih nekoliko godina, Dijamant je bio podvrgnut nizu različitih vlasnika, sve dok nije preprodan Pierreu Cartieru 1909. Godine 1910. Dijamant Hope prikazan je socijalistici iz Washingtona, DC, gospođi Evalyn Walsh McLean, u Cartieru u Parizu. Nakon što je ponovno postavio dijamant i postavio ga kao ukras za glavu na troslojni krug velikih bijelih dijamanata, Cartier je 1911. prodao dijamant gospođi McLean. Ubrzo nakon toga, Dijamant Hope postao je privjesak ogrlice koja je ostala i danas.

Nakon smrti gospođe McLean 1947., Harry Winston Inc. iz New Yorka kupio je njezinu cijelu kolekciju nakita, koja je uključivala dijamant Hope 1949. Sljedećih 10 godina Hope Diamond je bio prikazan na mnogim izložbama i dobrotvornim događajima diljem svijeta, prije nego što je doniran je Institutu Smithsonian, gdje je i danas glavna atrakcija. Od ponovnog postavljanja 10. studenog 1958., Hope Diamond je napustio Smithsonian samo četiri puta radi izložbi ili radova čišćenja i restauracije. S tako opsežnom poviješću koja seže četiri stoljeća unatrag, nije čudo da je Hope Diamond i dalje omiljen za mnoge diljem svijeta.

Dijamantno prokletstvo nade

Možda je najzanimljiviji aspekt dijamanta Hope navodna kletva koju je proširio na svoje vlasnike tijekom posljednja četiri stoljeća. Prema legendi, dijamant nade donio je veliku nesreću osobi koja je posjedovala i nosila dragulj, s pričama o samoubojstvu, ubojstvu, bankrotu, propalim brakovima i tragedijama. Međutim, postoje jaki pokazatelji koji upućuju na to da su te priče izmišljene kako bi se povećao publicitet i zauzvrat vrijednost prekrasnog dragulja. S obzirom na to, još uvijek postoje adekvatni dokazi koji sugeriraju da legenda također ima nešto istine.

Legenda potječe iz vremena kada je Jean-Baptiste Tavernier otkrio plavi dijamant u rudniku Kollur u Golcandi u južnoj Indiji. Pretpostavlja se da je dijamant prethodno bio ugrađen u glavu kipa hinduističke božice, možda kao oko. Neke priče govore da je sam Tavernier uzeo dijamant sa kipa, dok druge kažu da je netko drugi potom prodao svoj plijen Francuzima. U svakom slučaju, svaka legenda se slaže da je upravo taj čin krađe na početku stavio kletvu na kamen. Neke priče govore da su Tavernieru nakon toga navodno usmrtili psi, iako dokazi govore da je umirovio bogatog čovjeka, nakon što je dragulj prodao francuskom kralju Luju XIV.

Početkom 20. stoljeća brojne su novine objavile članke koji su navodili navodne slučajeve nesreće s dijamantom nade, što je dodatno proširilo priču o prokletstvu. Članak u New York Timesu iz 1911. navodi primjere od odrubljivanja glava kralja Louisa XVI. i njegove supruge Marie Antionette, do samoubojstva Jacquesa Coleta, pa čak i privremenog nositelja, užasnog silovanja i ubojstva princeze de Lamballe, sve kao slučajeve koji upućuju na prokletstvo dijamanta.

Kasnije je sugerirano da je draguljar Pierre Cartier dodatno potaknuo priče o šaputanju primjenjujući elemente romana Wilkieja Collinsa 'Mjesečev kamen' na priču o dijamantu Hope, tijekom posjeta Evalyn i Neda McLeana trgovini Cartier u Parizu. Pretpostavlja se da je Cartier izvezao priču u pokušaju da ih uvjeri da kupe dijamant. Priča je uspješno očarala Evalyn da kasnije kupi dijamant i ubrzo je postala jedan od najpoznatijih vlasnika Hope Diamonda. Dok dokazi upućuju na to da je prokletstvo izmišljeno kako bi se povećao publicitet, misterij i privlačnost Dijamanta Hope u 20. stoljeću, nesreća je i dalje uslijedila nakon toga, svekrva gospođe McLean je umrla, njezin sin je umro u dobi od devet godina, njezin suprug razvodi se od nje zbog druge žene i ubrzo nakon smrti u duševnoj bolnici, njezina kći umire od predoziranja drogom u 25. godini, a obitelj gubi svoje bogatstvo zbog bankrota.

Čak je i poštar koji je isporučio dijamant Smithsonianu nakon što ga je donirao Harry Winston 1958., ubrzo nakon toga doživio zgnječenu ozljedu noge, njegov dom se zapalio, a supruga i pas su ubrzo umrli.

Dok mnogi vjeruju da su se te nesreće dogodile zbog dijamanta nade, drugi su uvjereni da su to samo slučajne okolnosti i da se za njih mogu okriviti drugi uzroci. Kustos Smithsoniana Jeffrey Post rekao je za PBS da vjeruje da je kletva zanimljiv dio povijesti Diamonda, ali da to nije istina.

“Prokletstvo je fascinantan dio priče o dijamantu nade koji je pomogao da dijamant postane slavan kakav jest. Ali kao znanstvenik, kao kustos, ne vjerujem u kletve”, rekao je gospodin Post.

Dakle, vjerujete li u prokletstvo ili ne, zloglasna povijest dijamanta nade koja datira unatrag više od četiri stoljeća dokazuje za zabavno štivo. Ako ste jednako oduševljeni ljepotom i rijetkošću plavih dijamanata kao što je dijamant Hope, danas ga možete kupiti na aukciji Gem Rock.